GCC Police unit to be set up

Abu Dhabi, May 3, 2014

GCC interior ministers have endorsed a recommendation to set up the Gulf Police, at a meeting last week, a report said.

The ministers also agreed at their meeting in Kuwait to set up a permanent GCC bureau at the UN in Vienna led by Oman, a Gulf News report quoting other media said.

It was agreed that the Gulf police (GCCPol) will be headquartered in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, it said

GCCPol will work with ministries across the GCC and with the Interpol in creating an administration capable of analysing and following-up up with information and checking the validity of evidence, the report said.

It was decided that handing over suspects to corresponding countries will only be mandatory in cases involving national security, terrorism or political issues. Otherwise, the matter is optional and may be decided in the country where the offender was captured, the Gulf News report quoted a source as saying.